This year’s Tour de France was a joy – a special race that ebbed and flowed as well as anything served up by sport in recent times.

Such was the effect, I took a drive (yes, that's much easier than on two wheels) over the Cols du Galibier and Telegraphe on the way back from my summer holiday.

It was also some achievement that Le Tour was such as success, given the controversial participation by Alberto Contador and cycling’s doping problems.

In the end, the drama and torture of a wonderful sport I adored watching as a child was the only thing that dominated the headlines – which is exactly how it should be.

If fact, I actually want to try and do some proper bike rides myself. Keep an eye out for the sponsorship pleas in the next 12 months as I embark on some ridiculously over-optimistic challenge well beyond my abilities.

Anyway, all that fun in July also makes the start of the Tour of Britain on Sunday an exciting prospect.

Like last year, the race will travel through the wilds of Norfolk: this time, with stage seven looping round from Bury St Edmunds to Diss, joining the dots to Wymondham and Reepham before heading west to the line at Sandringham.

It will be the Tour’s longest stage and – on Saturday, September 17 – will also mark the 40th birthday of true cycling star, Jens Voigt.

The line-up is set to be something special too. Mark Cavendish will be there, along with his HTC right-hand men, Bernhard Eisel and Mark Renshaw. Sky will take Ben Swift and Geraint Thomas, while Garmin-Cervelo could easily bring Thor Hoshovd to the party.

Sadly, duties at the Reebok will rule me out of joining Ned Boulting and Co in front of the royal household.

But if you get the chance, take in the race and embrace some cycling – hopefully you will forget the chequered past and see two-wheeled gladiators in a rejuvenated light as well.